A special event has been held in Galway to mark the 50th anniversary of the first production by the Druid Theatre Company.
From humble beginnings in 1975, it has grown to be one of the country's foremost arts organisations, promoting new and established writers at home and abroad.
It was founded by then students Marie Mullen and Garry Hynes, along with actor Mick Lally, in the early summer of 1975.
Its first performance was held on 3 July that year.
Since then, it has produced works from established and emerging writers, platforming new approaches to theatre, while all the while staying firmly rooted to its founding aims.
In essence, these were to ensure local audiences could watch professional theatrical productions in locations close to their own communities and to give voice to the area's rich storytelling tradition.
It is a credo that has served Druid well, helping it to build a close relationship with its audience and ensuring it stays attuned to the changing nature of the place that it calls home.
The gathering at the Mick Lally Theatre on Druid Lane brought together crews, cast members and the significant back room team that combines for each performance.
Final rehearsals are under way for the first element of the company’s anniversary programme of events; a Galway Arts Festival double bill, featuring Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Riders to the Sea by JM Synge.
The location where the event took place was named in honour of Mick Lally. The Druid co-founder died in 2010.
This week, his contribution to the undertaking is being remembered, along with other deceased Druid luminaries, like actress Siobhán McKenna and playwright Tom Murphy.
Artistic Director and co-founder Garry Hynes said it had been an "enormous privilege" to have had the joy of overseeing the development of the company.
She said the trio that envisaged the project had been determined that they would offer audiences an alternative and ensure they could easily access performances.
This led to the staging of Druid shows in halls and theatres around the region, a practice that has continued through the decades.
At the same time, work discovered and premiered by Druid has gone on to achieve international renown.
Perhaps most notably in the late 1990s, when Druid won a clutch of Tony Awards for its production of Martin McDonagh’s The Beauty Queen of Leenane.
Marie Mullen said the involvement of succeeding generations of actors and crew members had been central to the success of the theatre company and was key to driving it forward.
In a message to mark "50 years of extraordinary contributions to the artistic and cultural life of Ireland", President Michael D Higgins said Druid had consistently demonstrated the transformative power of theatre.
He said he was privileged to acknowledge the company’s role in the heritage that defines us and referenced his links with the company from its foundations, to his present role as its Patron.
President Higgins’ wife, Sabina, acted with Druid and is said to "fondly recall her stage appearances in Galway with the company".
President Higgins said he had derived unforgettable experiences and joy from Druid productions and that it had "reaffirmed the essential role of theatre in our society, [as] a mirror, a provocation, and, at its best, a call to action".
